Tank ball



0a. 7, 1930. A H R, ANE 1,717,553

TANK BALL Filed Jan. 50. 1929 FIG a FIG. 2.

"- FIG. 4.

INVENTOR HUBERT R. CRANE BY M , A TTORNEYS I Patented Oct. 7,

UNITED STATES HUBERT n. CRANE, or Los'anen ns, onLIroRNrA TANK "BAL Application filed January 30, 1929. Serial no; 336,119.

Thisinvention relates to improvements tank balls or valve closures employed in flush tanks.

Heretofore tank balls have, been provided '5 which have a top and a relatively flexible lower portion which is adapted to seat upon o the valve seat. In the conventional prior construction the top is made relatively thick as compared with thethickness. of the flexible lower portion so that. it is somewhat stiffer than the lower portion. The thickness of the top is usually preserved up to and in the juncture between the top andlower portion and sucha constructionhas been found to be disadvantageous, where the juncture betan'knball. comprises a top IO'haVingan up1 st-anchng central post 11in which there is a metal-spud 12 into which the valve ma ia tween the top and the flexible lower portion cannot flex as easily as the remainder of the lower portion. As tank balls. are used under various circumstances the ball may seat any- D where on the exterior surface ofthe lowerportion, that is, atthe bottom of the lower portion, at the top of the lower portion, near the juncture with the top or at any intermediate position. It is highly desirable to have the lower portion with a uniform flexibility from top to bottom so thatregardless of where it seats on the valve seat it will have the same flexibility and form a tight closure. It is therefore an object of this invention 3 to provide an improved tank ball wherein the flexible lower portion has a uniform flexibil- V ity from top to bottom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tank ball wherein there is a groove formed on the under side or interior of the juncture between the top and the flexibly lower portion. The groove enables the flexible lower portion near its upper edge to be bent inwardly as readily as any other part of the lower portion and also causes the top ofthe tank hall where it joins the lower portion to have about the same thickness as the lower portion and thus preserve the flexibility of the lower portion from its bottom to its extreme top. 7

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in' the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings Eigi'Q is avertical-section through the necessary in causing the tank ball to prop- :for an illustrative embodiment of the inven- 1 tion wherein: f a i I Fig. 1 1s .a View inside elevation of one form of tank ball embodying the invention.

same,-illustrating the: ball inseating'p-osi- V Fig. 3 is a view inside-elevation illustrating a slightly modified form of construction.

-Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the mod ified fofrmof construction. iReferring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters desig- {nate similar parts throughout the improved maybe screwed. fSuspended from the periphery of the top 10 is a'substantially"hemi spherical lowerportion 1-4 which is relatively thin. so as to be fairlyflexiblea An aperture 15 is formed in its bottonr and thebotto'm of the post 10 maybe hollowed out as indicated 211316.

In the modification shown in Figs. 1 and- 2 the top surface of the top 10 about the post 11 is flat, indicated at 17 and the top presents an annular bottom surface 18. The invention consists of formingv an annular groove 19 on the interior of the tank ball at the juncture between the top 10 and the flexible lower portion 14. This groove enables the topofthe lowerportion to be pressed inwardly quite readily if such is erly seat on its seat S. Also the groove causes the top 10 at its juncture with the lower portion 14 to be of the thickness indi cated at 20 which is approximately the same as the thickness of the lower portion. By the improved construction it will be appre ciated that the juncture between the top and the lower portion is of substantially the same thickness as the thickness of the lower portion so that the flexibility of'the lower portion 14 will be preserved and kept uni form up to its extreme top edge. The thickness of the top 10 in no way interferes with the flexibility of the lower portion 14: or

tends to stiifen it nearits top. The modia fication disclosed in'Figs. 3 and 4 is substantially of the same construction as that disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 except that the top instead of having a flat top surface 17 has a beveled top surface indicated at 17*;

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that an improved tank ball is provided wherein thelflexibility of the lower seating portion is preserved throughout so that regardless of the localit-y on the exterior of the lower portionat which the ball engages the seat S it will have the same flexibility desired to form a tight seal. I

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as de-' lined by the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A tank ball comprising a hollow body having a relatively stiff top and-.a' flexible .lower seating portion, the top presenting an annular bottom surface which is approxi-;

mately flat, there being a groove formed in the bottom surface of the top about the flat surface and which is located at the juncture between the top and the flexible lowerporv tion as and for the purpose'described:

2. A tank ball comprising a hollow body having a relatively thick stiiftop and acomparatively thin flexible lower seating portion, the top having a groove formed on its under surface at the juncture between the top and the flexible lower portion soas to preserve the flexibility of the lower portion to the extreme upper end thereof.-

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification;

HUBERT'R. oRANE; 

